Shipboard cargo stowage construction

ABSTRACT

According to the invention the vast hulls of cargo carrying ships (freighters) are not obstructed by any permanent installations of structure to receive the cargo which may and often does vary in return voyages as compared with the character of outgoing cargo and hence the difference in return cargo often dictates a difference in adaptations of internal structure to receive and best retain (from shifting) such return cargo.

O Umted States Patent [72] Inventor Jerome L. Goldman [56] ReferenceCited ggigzliancroft Drive, New Orleans, La. 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3380 422 4/1968 Bachko 114/72 7 Q55; NO 2 3 1969 3,452,699 7/1969 Osh1ma114/72 [45] Patented June's i 3,494,486 2/1970 Knight, Jr. et a1 214/15Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix Attorney-Wilkinson, Mawhinney &Theibault ABSTRACT: According to the invention the vast hu11s of cargocarrying ships (freighters) are not obstructed by any [54] SSTOWAGECONSTRUCTION permanent installations of structure to receive the cargo gg which may and often does vary in return voyages as compared [1.8. CI114/72 with the character of outgoing cargo and hence the differenceB63b 25/02 in return cargo often dictates a difference in adaptations ofin- Field of Search 1 14/72, ternal structure to receive and best retain(from shifting) such return cargo PATENTEI] JUN 81911 a 3,583; 350

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NVENTOR JEROME L. GOLDMAN I W1 Om D3 ATTORNEYS SHIPBOARD CARGO STOWAGECONSTRUCTION The present invention relates to shipboard cargo stowageconstruction.

An object of the invention is to provide knockdown elongated supportmembers, in sufficient numbers or supply, for temporary erection in thecargo hold of a vessel of freight classification to provide one or anumber of hatchways or divisions of the hold, which elongated membersact as guideways and supports for tween decks, containers, pallets orthe like receivers of cargo to the end that such tween decks, forexample, may be supported individually from the elongated memberswhereby the decks and their individual loads will not devolve upon undercargo loads on under decks with disastrous consequences to such underloads and their decks.

Another object of the invention is to provide knockdown members whichmay be temporarily and quickly erected in large normally vacant spacesin the cargo holds of ships whereby the vacant spaces may be quicklyconverted into a number of cargo receiving holds of varying capacitiesand sizes for the quick stowage of cargos of various kinds and sizes.

A further object of the invention is to provide in knockdown conditiongroups of members which may be erected quickly in relation to othersimilar groups to form cells for reception of containerized or othercargo in which the groups are adjustably connected together by meanswhich may be quickly adjusted to alter the relative positions of saidgroups whereby the latter may be accurately finally positioned toreceive a variety of different sizes of cargo or containers, which willconserve space and are of such construction as to be quickly erected,adjusted and finally dismantled.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the present invention willbe more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularlypointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a form of basic element, being anelongated vertical member adapted, in concert with other like members,to form individual separate hatchways or cells for receiving cargo ondecks, in containers or otherwise.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the hold of acargo vessel in which selected groupings of the angle iron basicvertical members are shown as examples of temporary cargo cellarrangements.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a corner standard comprised of four ofthe vertical angle iron members in an arrangement in which the verticalangle iron members serve as a corner post for four separate cargo cellscompleted by three additional corner standards as shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the corner standard showing portions offour cargo containers supported in the standard.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the corner standardwith connecting devices.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view with parts broken away of a form ofconnecting device for the angle iron members.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken through the hullshowing hinged or pivoted gates for converting cells to accommodate 20or 40 foot cargo containers.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the gates carrying vertical angleiron members in place crosswise of the hull forming 20 foot cells withcargo containers in place in one of the cells.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in FIG. 2, l0 designatesthe bottom shell ofa boat hull, II the tank top and 12 the intermediatebottom tank.

Referring more particularly to FIG. I in which a representative form ofknockdown vertical supporting member is shown, such membercross-sectionally considered is preferably of angle iron form comprisingthe webs or flanges 60, 61 related in a preferably right-angleconnection. The height of these vertical members will vary with thedepth of the hold or the depth of cell to be staked out. The verticalmembers may rest on the tank top 11 or on any tween deck and areadvantageously of metal. In one of the flanges may be made slots 62 forreceiving movable bolts or support members carried by the pallets.

In the detached condition of FIG. 1 these knockdown vertical supportmembers 60, 61 may be stowed in any suitable numbers in any part of thehold or elsewhere and are well adapted to be set up on end at shortnotice in assemblies of four as shown at D, E, F, and G in FIG. 2 or A,B, C, and D in FIG. 8, to thereby delimit and constitute, a cell orhatchway suitable for receiving 20 or 40 foot pallets or containers ofcargo of any prescribed sizes.

The support members may be made of iron, steel or other appropriatematerial and may be welded or otherwise attached to longitudinal andtransverse bulkheads or other supports. At intermediate areas which lackbulkheads the support members may be assembled in groups of four innumber, for instance in a relationship as indicated at D, E, F and G inFIGS. 2, 3 and 4, in which the assemblages constitutes corner standardsserving four separate cargo cells.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 inclusive, the angleiron assemblages or corner standards D, E, F and G are preferablyconnected at various elevations by connector members 63 of preferably acruciform construction having radiating arms 64, 65, 66 and 67. Theconnections may be by welding to leave the right-angle surfaces of theangle irons smooth for the free sliding up and down therein of thecorner portions of the pallets or containers. The arms of the connectormembers 63 are preferably hollow as shown and open through outer endsthereof. In the arms 64 and 66 are aligning slots 68 and 69 whichregister with the slots 62 in the webs or flanges 61 of the verticalcorner members D, E, F, and G so as to permit the movable support bolts27 to be projected therethrough to assume the support of the tween decksor the container pallets when finally in place.

The arms 65, 67 are open-ended and have aligned bolt holes 70 forremovably receiving headed bolts 71 which pass through perforated forkedclips 72 and the interleaved connector strips 73. Rods or cables 74 joinclips 72 of next-in-line corner standards as shown in FIG. 11. Theserods or cables 74 preferably include turnbuckles 75 for adjustingaccurately the distance between adjacent corner standards.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 7 and 8, gates 76 and 77 arepivoted vertically at outer ends in opposite longitudinal bulkheads 78and 79 to swing out and meet at their free ends to provide a crosspartition dividing 40 foot long hatchways into two 20 foot hatchways soas to accommodate either 40 foot long or 20 foot long containers orpallets.

In FIG. 7 the gate 76 at its pivoted end carries two vertical supportmembers identified at 80 and 81, at its free end two other verticalsupport members 82 and 83 and at its intermediate portion four verticalsupport members 84, 85, 86 and 87.

Similarly the gate 77 carries two outer vertical support members 88, 89,four intermediate support members 90, 91, 92 and 93 and two innersupport members 94, 95.

When the two gates move to the transverse dotted line positions, theirvarious vertical support members will align with the permanent endsupport members 96 and 97 of the 40 foot cells or hatchways and thusconvert the four 40 foot hatchways to eight 20 foot cells.

FIG. 8 shows a very similar arrangement with the additional of theturnbuckles 75 and the rods or cables 74.

I claim:

1. For use with a cargo vessel having a cargo hold,

a. elongated knockdown members removably introducable into the hold andadapted to be detachably assembled and erected in the hold in spacedrelation to one another and in selected geometric patternscircumscribing the whole area of the hold or selected divisions of thewhole area thereof until the whole area or selected segments only of thewhole area are spaced off and delimited by coordinate assemblies of theknockdown elongated members,

b. cargo containing members of similar geometric patterns slidable upand down within the confines of the assembly or assemblies of saidelongated members and being guided in up and down movements by saidassembled elongated members, in which groups of at least four saidelongated members are associated,

c. cruciform means connecting the members of each group,

and

d. adjustable means connecting the cruciform means of adjacent groups,said adjustable means comprising e. perforated connector strips passingthrough the cruciform means,-

f. forked perforated clips fitting over the end portions of theconnector strips, and

g. bolts removably fitting through the perforations of the strips andclips and perforations of the cruciform means.

2. In a cargo ship having a smooth decking enclosed by bulkheads,

a. stationary vertical guide members secured to the bulkheads at spacedlocations to define sides of cargo holds,

b. groups of other movable guide members slidably resting at their lowerends on the smooth decking and adapted when properly aligned to matewith selected bulkheads guide members and other movable guide members totogether complete a plurality of upright guideways for cargo containers,

c. means for individually connecting groups of slidable guide members,and

d. adjustable means included in said connecting means to cause nicerelative adjustments of the groups by sliding the grouped guide membersalong the smooth decking into completely accurate registration withother stationary and/or movable group guide members.

3. The combination of claim 2, further comprising e. hollow centralmembers to which the movable guide members are affixed in said groups,and into which said group connecting means is entered, and

f. means in the hollow central members for detachably affixing saidconnecting means to said hollow central members.

4. The combination of claim 3 further comprising g. connector stripsentered into the hollow central members forming links between thelast-named means.

5 in a cargo ship having a smooth decking,

a. movable guide members slidably resting at their lower ends on thesmooth decking b. means for holding said members in formations ofseparate groups c. connections between said groups, and

d. means for adjusting the connections lengthwise to move the guidemembers by sliding movements on the smooth decking to shift the groupscloser together or farther apart in an act of accurate adjusting theguide members of the groups into relative positions for formingknockdown hatchways.

1. For use with a cargo vessel having a cargo hold, a. elongatedknockdown members removably introducable into the hold and adapted to bedetachably assembled and erected in the hold in spaced relation to oneanother and in selected geometric patterns circumscribing the whole areaof the hold or selected divisions of the whole area thereof until thewhole area or selected segments only of the whole area are spaced offand delimited by coordinate assemblies of the knockdown elongatedmembers, b. cargo containing members of similar geometric patternsslidable up and down within the confines of the assembly or assembliesof said elongated members and being guided in up and down movements bysaid assembled elongated members, in which groups of at least four saidelongated members are associated, c. cruciform means connecting themembers of each group, and d. adjustable means connecting the cruciformmeans of adjacent groups, said adjustable means comprising e. perforatedconnector strips passing through the cruciform means, f. forkedperforated clips fitting over the end portions of the connector strips,and g. bolts removably fitting through the perforations of the stripsand clips and perforations of the cruciform means.
 2. In a cargo shiphaving a smooth decking enclosed by bulkheads, a. stationary verticalguide members secured to the bulkheads at spaced locations to definesides of cargo holds, b. groups of other movable guide members slidablyresting at their lower ends on the smooth decking and adapted whenproperly aligned to mate with selected bulkheads guide members and othermovable guide members to together complete a plurality of uprightguideways for cargo containers, c. means for individually connectinggroups of slidable guide members, and d. adjustable means included insaid connecting means to cause nice relative adjustments of the groupsby sliding the grouped guide members along the smooth decking intocompletely accurate registration with other stationary and/or movablegroup guide members.
 3. The combination of claim 2, further comprisinge. hollow central members to which the movable guide members are affixedin said groups, and into which said group connecting means is entered,and f. means in the hollow central members for detachably affixing saidconnecting means to said hollow central members.
 4. The combination ofclaim 3 further comprising g. connector strips entered into the hollowcentral members forming links between the last-named means.
 5. In acargo ship having a smooth decking, a. movable guide members slidablyresting at their lower ends on the smooth decking b. means for holdingsaid members in formations of separate groups c. connections betweensaid groups, and d. means for adjusting the connections lengthwise tomove the guide members by sliding movements on the smooth decking toshift the groups closer together or farther apart in an act of accurateadjusting the guide members of the groups into relative positions forforming knockdown hatchways.